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Late Thursday night the fur was flying in California as gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown appeared to step into a political dung heap after his aide made an off the cuff remark about rival Meg Whitman while leaving a telephone message.

Whitman claimed a Brown aide called her a "whore" in a voice mail message, and that Brown also "may have used the term at least once" in the same phone message.

Both camps issued statements about "Whoregate" around 10 p.m.

"This was a jumbled and often inaudible recording of a private conversation," Brown campaign manager Steven Glazer said. "At times our language was salty. We apologize to Ms. Whitman and anyone who may have been offended."

Whitman spokeswoman Sarah Pompei issued this statement "the use of the term 'whore' is an insult to both Meg Whitman and to the women of California. This is an appalling and unforgivable smear against Meg Whitman. At the very least Mr. Brown tacitly approved this despicable slur and he himself may have used the term at least once on this recording."

In the tape, published by The Los Angeles Times Thursday night, Brown can be heard discussion Whitman's pension plan with an aid. Brown claims Whitman reached a deal with the a police union to exempt them from her pension reform plan in exchange for an endorsement.

"Do we want to put an ad out? … That I have been warned if I crack down on pensions, I will be – that they’ll go to Whitman, and that’s where they’ll go because they know Whitman will give ‘em, will cut them a deal, but I won’t,” Brown said.

An aid interjects: “What about saying she’s a whore?”

The recording was left on the voicemail for a Los Angeles Police Protective League official, after Brown left a long message for the official. It appears Brown thought he hung up the phone.